Corrections officers, DTF foil contraband scheme

A trustee in the Covington County Jail working with a local municipality is facing drug charges after his plan to bring contraband into the jail was foiled by attentive correctional officers.

Jail Administrator Lt. Alan Syler said Thursday that Kenneth Allen Polk, 34, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

“We obtained information that Polk was going to try to receive some contraband close to where he was working,” he said. “With that information, myself and Drug Task Force agents Greg Jackson and Nathan Frank set up surveillance. We viewed him recovering contraband that was hidden.”

Syler said Polk was arrested with the contraband on him.

“Upon further investigation, two females that placed the contraband were arrested after viewing surveillance footage,” he said.

Syler said they arrested two 19-year-old females – Jerilyn Rose Carter and Destiny A. Blair – for promoting prison contraband second-degree.

Syler, who became the jail administrator in December, said that combatting contraband being brought into the jail is an ongoing struggle.

“It is a constant fight,” he said. “I can’t praise my COs enough for gathering this information. They brought it to me, and Lt. Howard West assisted as well.”

Syler said with the information gathered, the jail team was able to stop the contraband before it hit the jail.

“It’s an ongoing problem,” he said. “We find contraband hidden around the exterior of the jail. We have cameras that monitor.”

Syler said the biggest contraband item is tobacco.

“We also have a large problem with Suboxone strips,” he said. Suboxone is a prescription medication used to treat adults who are addicted to opioids.

“And communication devices are a continuing battle. We have recovered nine cell phone since I started in December.”